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Just perfect...

A Masterpiece!

A Major Disappointment

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

An unassuming Englishman named Fotheringay (Roland Young) is given miraculous powers by celestial beings (perhaps gods, the film never says). He doesn't know where he got the powers from or why and, at first, he doesn't use them for anything more than simple tricks. Gradually he starts to realize the gift he's been given and decides to use his power for the greater good. But he isn't sure how to do this so he consults several respected men in the community and gets wildly different suggestions. A delightful fantasy comedy with a script co-written by H.G. Wells, adapted from one of his short stories. It's leisurely-paced and well-directed. Amazing special effects for the time, particularly when you consider this wasn't a Hollywood production. Roland Young (wearing a toupee) is perfectly cast. I can't imagine another actor from this time playing this part so well. The rest of the cast is terrific with a few recognizable faces in the mix, including Ernest Thesiger and, in a small role, George Zucco. Ralph Richardson steals the show as a blowhard colonel quite put out by Fotheringay's miracles. A shirtless George Sanders plays one of the 'gods.' One of my favorite scenes is when Fotheringay tells a policeman to "go to blazes" and winds up sending the man to Hell! The policeman's reaction while there and Fotheringay's subsequent attempt to fix the situation are hilarious.Reportedly Wells intended the film to be more preachy, like his script for Things to Come the year before. But thankfully director Lothar Mendes and co-screenwriter Lajos Biró chose to focus more on the comedy and getting the points across that way. The result is a funny movie but with some big ideas that gives you a lot to think about.

Every time somebody somewhere publishes one of their 100 BEST FILMS OF ALL TIME, I look hopefully to see if this film made the list - finally? -- and have been disappointed so often that I no longer try. The good news? The production team took an HG WELLS classic -- a very tricky writer to bring to the screen, if you consider how many times they have fumbled his time machine story -- and nailed it the very first time. Yes, I know, it is Black and White, and the Special Effects are the best you can do for 1931, and the only real "name" is Richardson's, but PSHAW I say. These criticisms are trivial. The script, the adaption, is nothing short of brilliant. The direction is brilliant, bringing a sort of friendly whimsy to a story which on its surface more properly belongs in an AGENT OF SHIELD episode. After all, this is about a normal everyday man granted ABSOLUTE POWER. The acting is superb, Roland Young fit the bill perfectly. He was known for playing meek characters and through his career the only other major role that cinephiles remember him for is Topper. In case you have NOT seen this, I don't want to spoil it for you other than to say that this may be be the only chance you will ever get to enjoy this wonderfully presented morality tale in its purest form. The reason for this caution is that, to the best of my information, the Wells family has, over the years, consistently refused to sell the rights, no matter how much money was thrown at them. It appears they belong to the school of thought which suggests, if something is done right first time, there is no need to do it again. The scene in particular where Young's character becomes so befuddled dealing with the quirks of the world's leaders that he literally stops the planet from spinning is priceless and unforgettable. And BTW the way Young's character deals with his secret crush (Joan Gardner playing Ada Price) would be as irksome to the fairer sex today as it no doubt was then. The only difference is that, today, it is easier to voice your complaints. One of the best films ever done of one of the best stories ever written.

The previous reviewer is decidedly looking for a religious message, and kind of missing the point of the whole film. He even mentions the point of the whole film, but doesn't realize it. See it for yourself and decide. It's an old move and may be slightly dated in attitudes I'm sure, but it's a product of it's time and I think HG was alive when this film was made. I wonder what he thought of it. It's one of my favorite movies and should be seen on a bigger screen. Great special effects for it's time, and clever I thought. And… be careful what you wish for. That's what the film is about. It fits into an Idea I had of films that are "Almost SiFi," but not. I include this film, Orlando, Perfume, and the Truman Show in that category.

What would a world without want be like? The answer has been the subject of countless stories, not a few movies, & every sensitive soul's nighttime sighing for ages. H. G. Wells poses the question by having godlike beings give a department store clerk, George McWhirter Fotheringay, that ability, & watching it evolve, as he bounces from adviser to adviser, from the sexy girl he desires to a retired British Army man.The film is a treat, especially for those of us accustomed to (& maybe a little bored by) the Star Trek treatment of absolute power conferred on lowly mortals. I don't know much about the history of science fiction in the movies, but Wells goes about everything (he wrote the script, based on his novel) with the fabulous in mind, while adding purely sci-fi touches, which I won't give away.Fotheringay is no bleeding-heart aching to turn the world into a painless utopia, nor is he a selfish, power-hungry perve, but a nondescript man who takes his time to figure out just what has happened to him before bringing everything to a head. In the meantime, we're given what amounts to a funny English comedy of manners, as well as a peek into a time (& place) where science fiction took a different direction. (For example: if you found out you had miraculous powers, would you tell anyone? I don't think I would. & if you told anyone, wouldn't you imagine the authorities pouncing on you at the first opportunity? Not so in 1930's Essex!)The ending seems Gene Roddenberry-esque, & perhaps the Star Trek creator admired & shared Wells' humanism; but the film shines with neat-o special effects (some cool stuff, for the time) & a wonderful performance by Roland Young. A must-see for those who like their sci-fi earthbound & thought-provoking.(My subject line, by the way, refers to anarchy as a form of government in which there are no governments, just self-government; I don't mean it in the common usage of disorder or chaos. The movie touches on the idea that, without their lives being controlled by those in power, who have a vested interest in people needing money & goods, people might find other ways to spend their time - like, for example, in creation.)